Cult film director to speak to campus

Silent Bob will speak. \nKevin Smith, the man who created the characters Jay and Silent Bob in cult-favorite films such as "Clerks" and "Mallrats," will give a short lecture followed by an extended question-and-answer session at 8 p.m., Oct. 26 at the IU Auditorium.\nSmith will speak about the film industry, but will spend most of his time answering questions from the audience -- a style of interaction Smith prefers, said Union Board Films director Erik Gibson, a senior.\nThe event, co-sponsored by UB Lectures and Films committees and PC Guru Comics, will be free to students with a valid IUB ID. Tickets will be available starting at 10 a.m. Monday at the IU Activities Desk. Students must bring one ID for every ticket requested. If tickets remain, they will go on sale to the general public at a later date.\nIU is one of only four colleges the filmmaker will visit on this speaking tour, and UB is excited Smith is coming said Lectures director Nick Hillman, a junior. \n"Union Board and other groups on campus have been trying to get him for years," Gibson said. "Work started on this event last April and we've just been pushing it through since." \nSmith first began to gain critical acclaim following his 1994 self-financed film "Clerks," which won the Filmmakers' Trophy Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Four films later, Smith has received cult favorite status, even marketing his own action figure.\nOne of UB's goals this year was to get a wide variety of speakers, and particularly to get someone from the motion picture field,z Hillman said.\n"We felt that he had a large college following thanks to the movies, and felt with his new movie coming out this was the perfect time," Hillman said.\nChris Joslin of PC Guru Comic Books, who has met and seen Smith speak multiple times, described him as a living legend.\n"Some say he's the guy who changed comic books," Joslin said. "He's been a No. 1 writer for years and has really helped the comic book industry get going again."\nIn addition to work on his own "Jay and Silent Bob" comic, Smith has helped work on "Daredevil" and "Green Arrow" books, and at one time was approached to help write the script for a new Superman feature film, a project Smith left after deciding the story did not do the character justice.\nJoslin says the crowd will likely be impressed with Smith's ability to speak in such a witty yet knowledgeable fashion. \n"Everything is either funny or meaningful," Joslin said.\nFans will be able to have a chance to speak directly with Smith through the question and answer session.\n"This lecture is different in that it really gives students a chance to get involved, to have a sort of personal connection," Hillman said.\nIt's likely the talks will be extremely popular, Gibson said. \n"A lot of people say they can really identify with the characters," Gibson said. "Smith's films are about being young and having characters and situations that could really exist." \nJoslin believes it's Smith's down-to-earth aura that really attracts people.\n"He's lived the dream of every comic book guy like myself, and unlike a lot of other people in Hollywood, he's just a regular funny guy"